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Tennessee football stock report after Week 7: Vols OL a rare negative

By Caleb Calhoun

AUBURN, AL - OCTOBER 13: Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers looks to throw a pass during the first quarter of their game against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
AUBURN, AL - OCTOBER 13: Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers looks to throw a pass during the first quarter of their game against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images /

Stock down

Interior offensive line

Pass protection was hit and miss at times, but it was largely fine. The interior blocking, however, was a disaster. Tennessee football continues to struggle at left guard, and they simply could not run the ball between the tackles. Once again, they failed on a short-yardage conversion, this time on 3rd and 1 and 4th and 1. That’s after failing on a 3rd and 1 fullback handoff against the Georgia Bulldogs two weeks ago.

The running game overall averaged fewer than two yards a carry. This was an overall disaster, and could have cost this team. Simply put, they still have a ton of issues to work out on the inside. But to be fair to them, it was against a very tough Auburn defensive line, so there are chances for the group to get better.

Return game

We honestly couldn’t find any other true negatives about Tennessee football after their win over the Auburn Tigers. But the nonexistent return game has been a common theme for a while, so we’re going to mention that right now. Again, it’s based on having to find something that’s a negative, and that’s a testament to how well UT played on Saturday.

However, this still falls more under the category of incomplete. After all, they only had a chance at one true return last Saturday. The lack of opportunities means this stock as a whole won’t get a chance to be a net positive in the future. That’s why it’s down for now.

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